Faces of Egypt
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2010
1
15
23
Trip End
Ongoing
Cairo, Egypt
Friday, March 12, 2010
Before we arrived in Egypt, we had heard many stories of scams all across the country; tourists getting ripped off by cab drivers, market touts, hotels, pick pockets, even bus drivers. So, as you can imagine we had our guard up initially, and were a little hesitant to put too much trust in any one local. As the trip progressed, sure enough there were touts, hagglers, and children asking for small 'baksheesh' however it only contributed positively to our overall experience. We got a little annoyed with some things at times, but if this is all we can complain about after 3.5 weeks in this great country, then we're blessed to have experienced so much. We were fortunate enough to meet many new friends along the way, of varied nationalities, but the Egyptian 'man on the street' has the unrivalled knack of bringing a smile to your face without even saying a word. Once you get behind the 'touristy facade' the Egyptians are friendly, and have a genuine interest in your well being. They will sometimes go to great lengths to ensure foreigners who visit their land are well looked after. The temples, monuments, museums, artefacts, history, Nile just add to the remarkable experience.
Egypt's human timeline allegedly dates as far back as 250,000 BC in the lush valleys, before climate change forced hunter-gatherers to move closer to the fertile Nile. From the first Pharoah to unite Lower & Upper Egypt around 3200 BC, through to the construction of the great pyramids in Giza around 2500 BC, and then Thebes (Luxor) becoming capital of ancient Egypt...these facts alone are almost incomprehensible, let alone what happened during the Middle and Ptolemaic Periods. It's literally too much information to digest, and nowhere near enough time to learn everything about the country.
But, it's the people who contributed most to our adventure through Egypt. We've come to discover the Egyptians are a proud nation, regardless of ones profession, academic prowess or age. It's the fact that they love being Egyptian brings them closer together. We've found that strangers easily fall into conversation, and those in need of support, are often assisted by local communities and extended family. Islam also unites the majority of the nation, with 90% falling into this category. The remaining 10% are Christians (Coptic) and all seem to lead a healthy co-existence. We're fortunate to have met so many, and quite a few we would like to stay in touch with. These bonds will last a long time.
We end our Egypt chapter with very fond memories. We've had one helluva good time! We open our next chapter from the 'Land of a thousand hills,' Rwanda...
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy some of the 'faces of Egypt' we've caputred over the past few weeks.
'No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year its allotted weight, to include each event, each person who helped to shape a lifetime. What can be done is to be faithful in spirit to the recordand try to find one's way to the heart of the man...' - Filmmakers of the Gandhi film, 1982.
